OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

Not the best of days for Salieri, health-wise, but she slept most of the day – best medicine – and seems to be much better again this morning. Fortunately, these poor-health days are not so common any longer. She is purring next to me as I type.

My love is also recovering. I delivered some of the groceries I ordered online to him yesterday and after dropping them on his doorstep could wave a hello from a safe distance. Can’t wait to hug again. This pandemic is so bodily real for those who have to fight off the virus, and so unbodied for all others.

Work motivation wasn’t at its highest yesterday, but stuff got done and I managed to complete the pool cleaning and repotted a few of my stoep plants that were in need or larger living spaces. The best garden news is that my lemon tree, which I had pronounced dead a few weeks ago and was on the verge of taking out, is coming back to life. Patience pays off. At the end of the day, Mozart, Glinka and I hung out near the pool and the human had a Hoghouse beer and we all watched the light seep away from the evening.

After dinner, I met on Skype with my Austrian friend Charlotte who is now in her new, gorgeous flat. We spoke about her next visit in Cape Town and my next visit in Austria, hoping that both will happen soon, but also understanding that everything is different now when it comes to hopping on a plane to go places …

I am almost certain that I don’t have COVID-19 (unless completely asymptomatic) and I don’t mind the quarantine because I understand its purpose, but I am still thinking about doing the test on Monday, which would be apparently ideal timing for the detection of a asymptomatic infection. Let’s see. Theoretically, a negative test does not excuse one from quarantine after such an exposure as mine – “A close contact will need to quarantine for 10 days. A negative test does not exclude a diagnosis of COVID-19 due to the possibility of a false negative result and thus a negative test does not allow the close contact to end quarantine early. Symptoms can develop up to 10 days after an exposure in some patients.” – so not sure whether to spend the money on the test that won’t change anything about my behaviour at this stage. Unless I test positive, of course. One needs a medical degree to decide how to act responsibly nowadays. My literary doctorate is not exactly helping in interpreting all the medical advice I read.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local. Get vaccinated, please.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD